# Down to one Coen Bros. movie left to see **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [January 22, 2009, 10:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/down-to-one-coen-bros-movie-left-to-see/482531 "2009-01-22T22:24:22Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2009, 10:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/down-to-one-coen-bros-movie-left-to-see/482531/1 "2009-01-22T22:24:22Z")
In the past four days, I’ve seen _The Big Lebowski_ and _Burn After Reading_, leaving me with one Coen brothers feature that I have not seen: _The Hudsucker Proxy_. I’m curious what to expect, without spoilers, please. FWIW, from least to most favorite, here are my thoughts on the ones I’ve seen: _O Brother, Where Art Thou?_ (2000) - probably my least-favorite, but I need to give it another try _Intolerable Cruelty_ (2003) - a little scrambled, I felt, but fun _The Ladykillers_ (2004) - a remake, something different for the Coens, good but not great _Blood Simple._ (1984) - dusty Texas crimes, would make a good double-bill with _No Country_ _Miller’s Crossing_ (1990) - excellent period piece with lots of violence _Barton Fink_ (1991) - this movie can make you wonder if you’re drunk _Burn After Reading_ (2008) - crazy fun, everything _Intolerable Cruelty_ should have been _The Big Lebowski_ (1998) - trippy and boob-filled _The Man Who Wasn’t There_ (2001) - another excellent period piece, in gorgeous black & white _Fargo_ (1996) - one of the best movies ever made _Raising Arizona_ (1987) - one of the best movies ever made _No Country for Old Men_ (2007) - easily the best film of 2007, possibly of the decade ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2009, 10:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/down-to-one-coen-bros-movie-left-to-see/482531/2 "2009-01-22T22:32:11Z")
Don’t get your hopes up. It’s not a bad film, by any means, but it’s one of the weaker Coen brother efforts. ---
**Author:** ![friedo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8edcca/32.png) [@friedo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/friedo)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2009, 10:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/down-to-one-coen-bros-movie-left-to-see/482531/3 "2009-01-22T22:38:15Z")
Long Live the Hud! It’s one of my favorite. I could never understand why so many people are convinced of its mediocrity; it is a truly brilliant film. ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Some\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ad7895/32.png) [@Just\_Some\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Some_Guy)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2009, 10:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/down-to-one-coen-bros-movie-left-to-see/482531/4 "2009-01-22T22:40:10Z")
It’s the Cohens doing Frank Capra. Your appreciation will vary depending on how much you like that mix of chocolate and peanut butter. ---
**Author:** ![Cervaise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cervaise/32/16693_2.png) [@Cervaise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cervaise)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2009, 11:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/down-to-one-coen-bros-movie-left-to-see/482531/5 "2009-01-22T23:16:44Z")
I’d say it’s underrated; in retrospect, in context of their larger body of work, it’s a lot easier to see what they’re getting at, whereas when it came out a lot of people were confused and put off. It’s pretty entertaining, overall. That said, it certainly falls in the lower half of the canon; it’s more of a noodle than a fully-formed film. ---
**Author:** ![An\_Gadai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d6d6ee/32.png) [@An\_Gadai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/An_Gadai)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2009, 11:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/down-to-one-coen-bros-movie-left-to-see/482531/6 "2009-01-22T23:22:15Z")
I thought it was fantastic. I watched it again recently having seen it as a child and thought “Hmmm that’s the film the Coen Bros. have always been trying to make.” Then I saw the end credits. I’m such a dumbass. ---
**Author:** ![Gadarene](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e47c2d/32.png) [@Gadarene](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gadarene)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2009, 11:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/down-to-one-coen-bros-movie-left-to-see/482531/7 "2009-01-22T23:37:04Z")
> [@](#): > > O Brother, Where Art Thou? (2000) - probably my least-favorite, but I need to give it another try :eek::eek::eek: You and I can never, ever be friends. ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2009, 11:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/down-to-one-coen-bros-movie-left-to-see/482531/8 "2009-01-22T23:39:12Z")
> [@Gadarene](#): > > You and I can never, ever be friends. Hey, I said I was going to give it another try. Don’t judge me quite yet. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![HoboStew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/f17d59/32.png) [@HoboStew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HoboStew)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2009, 11:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/down-to-one-coen-bros-movie-left-to-see/482531/9 "2009-01-22T23:43:40Z")
While I won’t say we could never be friends, my top 3 coens go Lebowski, Fargo, O Brother. The only ones I haven’t seen are Ladykillers, Intolerable Cruelty, and Burn After Reading. ---
**Author:** ![New\_Beginning](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@New\_Beginning](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/New_Beginning)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2009, 11:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/down-to-one-coen-bros-movie-left-to-see/482531/10 "2009-01-22T23:45:53Z")
I agree that The Hud is underrated. I’m biased though because I kind of fell in love with that movie when I saw it the first time. But, after thinking that I might finally be tired of it, I still got something new out of it the last time I watched it. Very uplifting (and true) message. ---
**Author:** ![woodstockbirdybird](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/woodstockbirdybird/32/7905_2.png) [@woodstockbirdybird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/woodstockbirdybird)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2009, 11:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/down-to-one-coen-bros-movie-left-to-see/482531/11 "2009-01-22T23:58:58Z")
I’m with you on _O, Brother_. Not a bad film, but probably my least favorite (though I thought _The Man Who Wasn’t There_ was a fairly weak entry, as well). My top 3 Cohens would be _Big Lebowski, Miller’s Crossing_ and _No Country For Old Men_. I thought _Hudsucker_ was enjoyable; good-not-great overall. ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2009, 12:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/down-to-one-coen-bros-movie-left-to-see/482531/12 "2009-01-23T00:01:53Z")
There’s a very specific subsection of the populace that the movie was made for. Daniel ---
**Author:** ![lissener](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lissener/32/6139_2.png) [@lissener](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lissener)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2009, 12:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/down-to-one-coen-bros-movie-left-to-see/482531/13 "2009-01-23T00:15:50Z")
> [@Cervaise](#): > > I’d say it’s underrated; in retrospect, in context of their larger body of work, it’s a lot easier to see what they’re getting at, whereas when it came out a lot of people were confused and put off. It’s pretty entertaining, overall. That said, it certainly falls in the lower half of the canon; it’s more of a noodle than a fully-formed film. What he said. Highly idiosyncratic, but highly underrated. I’d put in their top half. ---
**Author:** ![dalej42](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/67e7ee/32.png) [@dalej42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dalej42)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2009, 12:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/down-to-one-coen-bros-movie-left-to-see/482531/14 "2009-01-23T00:41:45Z")
I really like it as well. Since you liked _Raising Arizona_, _Burn after Reading_, and _Fargo_, I think you’ll like Hudsucker as well. ---
**Author:** ![Jophiel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jophiel/32/66_2.png) [@Jophiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jophiel)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2009, 1:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/down-to-one-coen-bros-movie-left-to-see/482531/15 "2009-01-23T01:59:22Z")
I dodn’t really have issues with most of your list except that I’ve never really seen the attraction of _Raising Arizona_. It’s better than a poke in the eye but nothing about it ever really grabbed me. ---
**Author:** ![gonzomax](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e8c25b/32.png) [@gonzomax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gonzomax)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2009, 2:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/down-to-one-coen-bros-movie-left-to-see/482531/16 "2009-01-23T02:08:37Z")
Raising Arizona was a very good movie with one huge flaw. It had the guys screaming at the top of their lungs when something goes wrong. It has now been copied 4 million and 3 times. I hold them responsible for that. ---
**Author:** ![infinitii](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/e8c25b/32.png) [@infinitii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/infinitii)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2009, 2:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/down-to-one-coen-bros-movie-left-to-see/482531/17 "2009-01-23T02:08:55Z")
You forgot about their entry on Paris J’Taime, which in my opinion is sort of weak (though I don’t exactly care for the Coen Brothers that much). However, of the Coen Brothers movies, The Hudsucker Proxy is my favourite (mostly because of Jennifer Jason Leigh as a 20s-30s gal-- she plays that part in at least 3 other movies and I like all of them), followed by Raising Arizona and Miller’s Crossing. I dislike all others (though I may have to re-watch Barton Fink, I remember detesting it when I saw it years ago but everything I read about it suggests I should like it-- ) ---
**Author:** ![gwendee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/35a633/32.png) [@gwendee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gwendee)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2009, 2:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/down-to-one-coen-bros-movie-left-to-see/482531/18 "2009-01-23T02:18:43Z")
Hmmm…looks as if **infinitii** and I might not be destined to be friends. It’s Leigh’s perfomance in The Hudsucker Proxy that keeps it off my “i can watch this over and over again” list. Many things about it appeal to me, but her part is big enough to eclipse them. Lines from Raising Arizona and O, Brother seem to fit seamlessly into daily conversations. ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2009, 2:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/down-to-one-coen-bros-movie-left-to-see/482531/19 "2009-01-23T02:25:34Z")
> [@infinitii](#): > > You forgot about their entry on Paris J’Taime Didn’t forget it, specifically omitted it because it’s (as I understand it), an entry in an anthology, not a full-length feature. But FWIW, I haven’t seen it either. ---
**Author:** ![Cisco](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ccd318/32.png) [@Cisco](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cisco)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2009, 2:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/down-to-one-coen-bros-movie-left-to-see/482531/20 "2009-01-23T02:34:37Z")
“You know, it’s for kids.” I like Hudsucker Proxy quite a bit, but then again I couldn’t sit through Miller’s Crossing and I tried really, really hard. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/down-to-one-coen-bros-movie-left-to-see/482531.md?page=2)